Hydrocarbon wells generally include a wellbore that extends between a surface region and a subterranean formation that includes a reservoir fluid, such as a hydrocarbon. Certain hydrocarbon wells, which may be referred to herein as naturally flowing wells, may have a naturally occurring downhole pressure that is sufficient to convey the reservoir fluid to the surface region via the wellbore.
However, in other hydrocarbon wells, naturally occurring downhole pressure may be insufficient to produce, or to provide a motive force for production of, the reservoir fluids to the surface region. In such hydrocarbon wells, artificial lift technologizes may be utilized to convey, pump, and/or otherwise produce the reservoir fluids, via the wellbore, from the subterranean formation and/or to the surface region. Examples of such artificial lift technologies include hydraulic pumping systems, electric submersible pumps (ESPs), rod pumps, sub-surface pumping assemblies, and/or gas lift assemblies. While each of these artificial lift technologies may be effective at providing a motive force for production of the reservoir fluid, each suffers from inherent limitations.
As an example, downhole mechanical pumps may wear and/or may be prone to premature failure, requiring expensive and/or time-consuming intervention to repair and/or replace. As another example, gas lift assemblies may be inefficient, only may be capable of producing the reservoir fluid at relatively low flow rates, and/or may not be effective in gas-constrained formations and/or when gas availability is low. Thus, there exists a need for improved artificial lift technologies, such as hydrocarbon wells and methods cooperatively utilizing a gas lift assembly and an electric submersible pump.